Sunday, October 7, 2012

What a Spiritual Uplift!

What a fabulous weekend this has been! We had breakfast at The Coral on Saturday. We watched all of General Conference. I was excited and shocked when President Monson announced ANOTHER temple for Arizona - this time in Tucson! But...most of all, I think I was just as surprised as that cute boy in the audience that they showed with his jaw on the floor, when President Monson announced that the age for young men to go on missions was being changed from 19 to 18, and for young women from 21 to 19, effective immediately. What a wonderful announcement! I think it will be so helpful in increasing the number of missionaries out there serving the Lord and helping bring people to Christ. It will also help in decreasing the number of youth who decide to not go on missions because careers have taken over or immorality has taken place while waiting to go.

The messages shared were FANTASTIC! I especially loved the one about KNOWING and LIVING who we are. It really made me think about where I have been, where I am now, and where I want to be in my relationship with the Savior and the knowledge of the gospel.

I was very uplifted at the end of Conference. I hope I can stay on this spiritual high and share the Gospel with others. I find that when I follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, live as we are taught, and follow the Savior's path, I am so much happier and better because of it.

Some other great news I haven't yet shared here...Jenny Phillips is coming to do a Youth fireside for our stake in January!!!!!

In the last couple of months, I have become so concerned with the youth in our stake and the choices they are making. I see them struggling with the influences of the world. I see them falling away from the Gospel. I see them drawing closer to friends and the ways of the world rather than to the Savior.

I have been incredibly saddened by this lately and have shared my thoughts and feelings with my sister, who has also worked with the youth in her stake. Jennifer works for Jenny Phillips and one day just recently, she let me know that Jenny was getting ready to open up her 2013 fireside schedule. I reached out to our Young Women president who talked with our Stake Presidency and we selected a date that would work for us. The only problem was that Jenny wanted to be able to do another fireside the same day and it needed to be no more than 20 minutes away so she would have time to get set up before the start time. Since we live out in the boonies, that was going to be hard since the only other stake near us is the one right by us and we were inviting them to our fireside. I prayed that Heavenly Father would help us know who to reach out to, whose stake is also in need of Jenny's influence through her firesides. Funny thing...it ended up being my old stake! They were so appreciative of us calling them. They are having a Youth Conference that weekend and they were looking for a "finale" to it. In both firesides, Jenny will be focusing on the new youth theme for 2013, which is...

I can't wait. I hope these youth will feel of her goodness, her devotion to the Savior, her love for them. In the time Jennifer has been working for her, she has been able to share with me some of the very special things she has witnessed about Jenny. I am drawn to this. I know the youth will be too.

I want to share here, her music video that goes along with this theme. My super cute nephew, Taylor, is in it. Jennifer called me at work one day and let me know it had been posted on YouTube. I watched it. I wasn't expecting to be so caught off-guard and emotional when his sweet face appeared on the screen at 2:48 into the video. But, I was. I started crying...right there at my desk at work. Here is this beautiful song, directed at the youth of the world to encourage them to stay true to the teachings of the Gospel, and here is Taylor, shining as an example to those youth all over the world. Jennifer didn't approach Jenny and ask her to put him in it. He didn't approach Jenny. Jenny approached him. She knew what kind of young man he is. She knew of his love for the Gospel. She knew he is trying to live as the Savior wants him to. She knew that while he was going through chemo, his friend McKenna would come to his home each day to teach him the Seminary lesson from that day so he could continue to feel his Savior's love with him and continue to learn of Him. She knew he is living righteously. She chose him. She only chooses specific types of youth to be in her videos and on her album covers. Taylor is that type of person.

When Taylor got cancer, he told his mom that he guessed he'd gotten his answer. When she asked his answer to what, he said he'd been praying for Heavenly Father to strengthen his testimony. What 16 year old does that? Taylor. One who's fully following the Savior. He amazes me. I am excited for him...the change in the age for missionaries affects him. He just turned 18 in September. He was going to have to wait until next September to go when he turned 19. But now, he can go as soon as he graduates from high school in the spring. What a blessing. I cannot wait to go to Utah, to see him speak in church before he leaves and heads out into the world to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His sweet spirit will touch many lives and he will be a great missionary.

So, here it is...I hope it touches your heart as much as it did mine...

Thomas S. Monson Said...

"With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He hears the prayers of humble hearts; He hears our cries for help. . . . His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, speaks to each of us today: 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him' (Revelation 3:20). Will we listen for that knock? Will we hear that voice? Will we open that door to the Lord, that we may receive the help He is so ready to provide? I pray that we will."

Henry B Eyring Said...

"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done." As I have begun doing this in my own life I have witnessed the quiet beauty of recognizing the hand of the Lord in my life every day."

Neil A. Maxwell Said...

"When life is hard, remember - we are not the first to ask, 'Is there no other way?'"